


Notice

by vivaforever597



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 12:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5627362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivaforever597/pseuds/vivaforever597
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: "I've seen the way you look at me when you think I don't notice." Eli confronts Umi over those sidelong glances she thought she'd hidden.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Notice

**Author's Note:**

> Umieli is only a secondary ship for me (I prefer Nozoeli and Honoumi, my Love Live! OTP), but it was part of the prompt, so I tried my best to make it as cute as it deserves to be!
> 
> Title comes from the prompt obviously, but [also from this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFMz1AdMr1c), so think of that as an angsty, Umi-POV counterpoint if you'd like?
> 
> And I totally see Umi as having anxiety disorders. It's kind of unavoidable actually. Probably GAD and SA.

"Umi." Eli's voice was gentle but commanding. "Would you wait a moment?"

Nozomi turned from the doorway to give Eli a questioning smile. Eli shook her head slightly, so slightly that no one but her best friend would have noticed. _Go on_ , the motion said. _I'll tell you later._ Honoka had missed the entire exchange, already halfway down the hallway, practically skipping. Even after these meetings surrounding the student council turnover, Eli sometimes feared the school's future under her.

Umi walked back toward the desk where Eli sat. "What is it, Eli—" -chan? -senpai? She was thrown off by Eli's dropping of any honorific. "—san?"

Eli sighed, so slightly Umi would have missed it if she hadn't been paying such close attention, her always elevated anxiety levels even higher than normal. She was trying to convince herself that it was only because she was stressed from the unexpected call from the outgoing student council president, not because she was alone in a room with Eli-chan...

"I've seen the way you look at me," Eli said gently. "When you think I don't notice."

"Eh?!" Umi squeaked. If her anxiety had been high an instant earlier, now it was through the roof. "I... I'd..."

Eli carelessly waved Umi to the seat beside her, as if to dismiss both her objection and her concerns. "At first I thought I was imagining things," she continued, "but Nozomi noticed it too. You know not much escapes her." She paused to lean toward the now-seated Umi, studying her face with a gentleness more befitting a loving dog than the harsh student leader she'd tried to be. "Be honest with me, Umi-chan. What's going on?"

A strong red blush had spread across Umi's face, even reaching the tips of her ears. Eli had never seen her quite like this before - she usually sublimated her embarrassment into frustration, it seemed. "It's not... what it looks like," she whispered.

"I think it's exactly what it looks like," Eli countered brutally.

"I..." Umi stared at her hands, stroking one with the other in a nervous habit Eli had noted before. "You're very pretty, Eli-chan," she choked out. "And since I'm an idol, I thought I would... ought to... be like you... more."

Eli raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "And that's all it is?" she asked skeptically. Umi made no response except to rub at her fingers even more urgently. Eli sighed again and harshly placed her hands over Umi's, stopping the nervous movement. "Umi, I've seen that look before. On a few of my classmates back in Russia. I know what it means."

Umi gulped and nodded but said nothing. She knew there was no way out of this.

"We can't do this, Umi," Eli continued gently. "Not while we're in µ's together. It wouldn't be... professional. Do you see what I mean?" Umi nodded again, but had yet to regain her composure. Eli smiled. "I'm flattered, Umi-chan. I really am. But there's no use in doing anything now." She took her hands from Umi's and rose from her seat to stand beside her.

"This will have to be enough for now," she said, and placed a gentle, caring kiss on Umi's head.


End file.
